Une Journée à Giverny

A few weekends ago my friends and I took a trip to Giverny to visit Monet's house and gardens. Meeting up with friends here is quite the experience every time. None of us have French phones, and I don't have an international plan, so unless we have wi-fi it's impossible to communicate. It's funny how reliable we all are on technology and it's kind of like a game to not have access to it. We learned pretty quickly that if we haven't been somewhere before, we meet at a place we all know and then travel together. Much easier that way. We are slowly getting the hang of this! It's funny to think that our parents, grandparents, etc. didn't have cell phones and they did just fine. Pathetic.

Anyways, we found each other, got to the train station, barely made our train and ended up standing the whole time (insiders tip: get there early!!) but made it to Vernon in one piece. From Vernon we took the bus to Giverny and spent a lot of time walking around the little town. It's so nice to get out of Paris on the weekends. I never thought I would say that but it's true!

 I am obsessed with these Dahlia's. They sell them in the flower markets here in Paris too and there is nothing like them. 

 Don't I look French?? Oh the joys of not having your luggage.

Monet's house and gardens were stunning. These pictures don't even do it justice. If you are in Paris: GO! The pond was my favorite part. I felt like I was in one of his paintings and I think I could sit there for hours and never get sick of it. Giverny is truly beautiful. 

Three Weeks in Paris

I cannot believe it's been almost three weeks since I got here! I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off but let me catch you up..

Of course on this trip I had to have flight and luggage drama. I wasn't going to make my connection in Chicago so the airline tried to put me on an earlier flight. Long story short, I didn't make the flight but my luggage did. Luckily, I had time to run home and pack a few extra things since it took them more than a week to get my bags to me. It was a total joke. But, I made it to Paris in one piece and my luggage came shortly after its' rendezvous in Chicago.

 Luxembourg Palace 

 Notre Dame // The leaves changing at the Tuileries 

 The Tuileries - the French sure know how to landscape!

The first day we had orientation with my program. They went over all the little things that go on in Paris and just gave us a general overview. The most popular topics were pick pockets and female harassment. Oh, and we were told multiple times how expensive it is to replace keys (hundreds of euros!). I spent most of the week just wandering around Paris with other people from my program and getting to know the city a little bit.

Palace Garnier

On Friday we went to Fontainebleau, a Palace a little outside of Paris. It was so beautiful and such a nice break from the city.

One of the chapels in the Palace - it never ceases to amaze me the amount of detail that was put into these places

On Monday, classes started and I think everyone in my program was in denial. French is not an easy language to learn. I am determined to soak up as much as I can while I am here, no matter how hard it is.

I always heard how hard it was to adjust to living in another country but you are never really prepared for it. Being in Paris for vacation and being here for three months are two completely different things. I was kind of waiting to write this post until things settled down for me because I did not want to seem bitter or ungrateful to be here. There are some days where I hate the metro, I am sick of the people coming up and trying to scam me, and I just really want to be back in the states. Then nostalgia sets back in. Paris really is so beautiful. There are interesting places with loads of history around every corner, you can go buy a bottle of wine and sit on the Champs de Mars and gape at the glittering Eiffel Tower or spend the day getting lost in one of the Arondissements. I guess wherever you are there are always going to be those little things that are annoying or inconvenient but Paris isn't such a bad place to be.


(So sorry for the crappy photo quality on most of these - I have not been toting my DSLR around with me but I am getting better!)

à Bientôt!
-Amy

San Fran

In July, Brady and I made the voyage to San Francisco for two (very short) days. I had to go there to get my student visa for France, so we tried to soak up as much as we could!

We started the day in Union Square then made our way down to the Ferry Building. 

They have a great deal (?) in San Francisco where you can buy a day pass for all of the public transportation for $15 a person. It's really worth it if you ride the cable car, since that costs $7 for one ride and I believe all other forms of transportation are $2. For me, it was more of the convenience of just hopping on and off without worrying about paying for every ride. If anyone has any tips on how to figure out their transportation, it would be much appreciated. I downloaded the MUNI app while I was there and it was TERRIBLE. We waited for a half hour for a tram that wasn't even running. So frustrating. 

We went to the Boudin Bakery in the wharf for lunch. To be honest, this was just OK. It's very touristy and I probably would not have chosen it again if I wasn't so hungry. 

 It wouldn't be a post about San Francisco without a picture of this beautiful landmark. 

I want a yard just full of these! So pretty!

We wandered around the Haight / Ashbury area after making our way through the park. It was really fun to explore, especially since it is SO different from anything here in Salt Lake. 

I went to Fentons every night we were there. The ice cream is SO good!! This was the dark chocolate chip.

The second day we made our way to Muir Woods National Monument. I would have LOVED to drive the 3 hours north to go to Avenue of the Giants but decided it was too much driving. Muir Woods is such a great park that isn't too far from the city. My tip: go a little off the trails. There is a trail that goes up and meets with Mt. Tam that is really pretty and not crowded. We only made it about halfway but it was a pretty good hike and if we had planned for it more I would have finished it. 

and last but not least.. some food recommendations! We stayed in the Oakland/Berkeley area so we were across the bay from the actual city. The two places we ate dinner out were SO good! We ate at this chinese place called King Yen on College Ave in Berkeley. Lots of vegetables and just seemed really fresh for Chinese food. The second place I would highly recommend is Gioia Pizzeria. There is a location in San Francisco, as well as Berkeley and it is SOOO good! They use seasonal ingredients and the pizza is just really really good. I get a little too excited about food sometimes but I just have to say both of these places were really great and I would go back. 

Until next time, San Francisco!

End of Summer

The end of summer is always bittersweet. I think everyone can level with me on this. This year is especially strange because I didn't have to go to the first day of classes and I leave for France in less than TWO WEEKS. I am freaking out a little bit ( a lot ) but I'm also a little excited too. 

Anyways, here are a few of my favorite snaps from Summer 2014!

(aka an attempt to make it look like I did more than I actually did this summer)

Hiking up to Cecret Lake to see the wildflowers

The mountains were looking especially gorgeous that day.

kind of like a postcard? I want to run through those fields of flowers.

FaceTime with my best friend while she was in London. 

Snow cones half the size of my head (from Hokulia), worth it!

My favorite is tigers blood with coconut ice cream inside. 

Tracking down the Better Burger truck for date night with Brady. Those sweet potato fries!

My first view of palm trees after we landed in Hawaii

Big wave shrimp truck // got leid at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Gorgeous landscaping at the Golden Gate Bridge 

Blurry picture of the Salty City

Cheers to a great summer! What did you do?

Vive La France

If you have been reading, or looked through my blog, you probably know that I have Grandparents that live in France and I have been lucky enough to travel there a few times in my life so far. I have to admit- it wasn't love at first sight. Paris was especially intimidating to me the first time that I went there. It wasn't until I went back a second time that I truly fell in love with the city and understood why my Grandparents loved the country so much. I have always regretted not focusing more on French language in school and not minoring in it in college but now I am taking a huge leap...

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I'm going on a Study Abroad in Paris, France!!!

This may not be a big deal for some (or most) people but it's really hard for me to get out of my comfort zone and relinquish control, so this is huge for me. But - I feel like when you move out of your comfort zone- that's where the magic happens :) at least that is what I am hoping! My goal is to improve my French speaking skills and what better way than to submerge myself in the culture? I have a whole list of other places that I want to visit while I am there as well and I can't wait to document everything.

NYC: A Glimpse

Bonjour! Hello! It's been a while! Here's an update: A few weeks ago I made another voyage across the USA to NYC. My grandparents were visiting from France and we had a little 'family reunion', if that's what you want to call it. Unlike most families, we are ALL spread out, so it's nice to see them when I can :).

I will always love New York. There is something magical about it that I can't quite put my finger on. If you have been there then you probably know what I mean. I love everything about it; the smells, the people, the FOOD, of course the shopping. I love that every neighborhood has something different to offer but my heart will always reside in the upper east side. My grandparents lived in the city for a very long time while I was growing up and I have a lot of memories buried in between those fancy town homes and Bloomingdales.

This trip we got cozy with the F and the 6 trains and spent some time downtown. I lived every current 15 year olds dream (spotted Ansel Elgort in the subway), ate a lot of amazing food and just enjoyed the city.

One of my favorite things that we did while in the city was walk the Highline. I suppose it's pretty touristy but it's not everyday I'm in New York.

About a week before I left I was scrolling through Facebook and saw this post about an ice cream cone called the Salty Pimp at this place called the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop: dulce de Leche, vanilla ice cream, salt and dipped in chocolate = heaven! I realized it was in NYC and added it to the top of my to-do list and I'm so glad I did! I was expecting it to be overly sweet because of the caramel and chocolate, but the salt really evens it out and you get a cone that is to die for. Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, I love you.. I'm not even mad that you dripped all over my purse.

On the left is their American Globs Cone and the right is the Salty Pimp. GO NOW!!

and of course this post wouldn't be complete with a photo of my shack burger...

mmmm... Until next time, NYC! 

Lately

Here are some of the things I have really been enjoying lately

TV Show:

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I am probably a little far behind on this show but it's on Netflix and I just turned it on one night (after a few glasses of wine) and was laughing so hard. It's a British show about this guy, Karl, who pretty much hates everything and just tells it how it is. What I like about it is that it shows a different side of these places that people dream of going. The first season is all about the 7 Wonders of the world (Pyramids, Great Wall of China, etc.) and I just find it interesting to see these places in a totally different way. I also just found out he has another show called The Moaning of Life and I need to find out how to watch that ASAP...

Book/Movie:

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Yeah, yeah. Jumpin' on the bandwagon. I do have to admit it is kind of a teenage romance novel but if you're up for a cry this is the book for you! Plus, it's a quick read and you could finish it before the movie comes out on Friday!


This Mara Hoffman Duvet. Just obsessed. I love the bright colors- just not the price tag.

This J.Crew Linen Boyfriend Tee. Or any linen tee for that matter, they are the best for summer!
Also, I just realized that J.Crew now has reviews online? 'Bout time!

 

I need to try this recipe for Peach Prosecco Punch. I love bellini's but they are kind of a pain to make (any easy recipes out there?) this looks similar and it's super easy :)